Daily care tips for the elderly

The core of daily care for the elderly has never been bottomless agency and over-protection, but on the premise of matching the pace of aging of the elderly's body functions, taking into account the three dimensions of independent will, risk prevention and control, and quality of life. There is no unified standard answer, and everything must be based on the actual feelings and physical condition of the elderly as the first yardstick.

I have been a nursing specialist in a community nursing home for almost 6 years, and I have seen too many examples of family members following the standard online care procedures, which in turn caused the elderly to develop problems. Not long ago, the family members of 78-year-old Aunt Zhang came to ask for help. They said that after recovering from a cerebral infarction, her aunt was walking a little wobbly. Her daughter was afraid that she would fall and would not even let her touch the bowl of rice. As a result, the aunt locked herself in the room every day and became angry and refused to eat. Later, we suggested that the family leave a small pot of edamame for the aunt to peel every day, and let her fold the underwear and socks by herself. Within half a month, the aunt's mood improved significantly, and her walking stability was much better than before when she lay down every day.

When it comes to nursing care, the first thing that often comes to mind is food, which is actually very controversial. There is a school of thought that the elderly have poor metabolism, so they have to eat very light meals, and they can’t wait to put out every gram of oil and salt. ； The other group says that the elderly's sense of taste has deteriorated so much that their food tastes bitter and they have no appetite. The risk of malnutrition is much higher than eating too much salt. In fact, the Chinese Nutrition Society’s recommendation for the elderly is that the daily salt intake should not exceed 5g, but there is really no need to be one-size-fits-all. In the past, Grandpa Li of our inn had strict salt control for his children. He secretly hid in the kitchen and ate pickled radishes. He could eat half a piece at a time, but his salt intake was exceeded. Later, we discussed with his family and allowed him to eat a piece of pickled radish as big as a fingernail every day, put a little less salt in the remaining dishes, and used natural ingredients such as mushrooms and dried shrimps to enhance the freshness. Now he eats well and his sodium level is normal every time. Oh, by the way, there is also the issue of health supplements, which is also very controversial. Some people think that the elderly must arrange protein powder, calcium tablets, and fish oil. Others say that eating normally is enough. Taking too much supplements will increase the burden on the liver and kidneys. My experience is to take the elderly to the hospital for a nutritional assessment first, and make up for whatever is missing. Don't listen to the salesmen. I have seen too many elderly people stocking up a cabinet of useless health products at home, and eating high transaminases, which is not worth the gain.

Compared with the conflict over food, the family members are definitely most nervous about the old man falling down. In the past, many people said that all the edges and corners of the home should be covered and the floor should be covered with anti-slip mats to be safe. In the past two years, there have been different opinions in the field of geriatric medicine, saying that excessive protection will not only make the elderly feel frustrated, "I am a waste", but if the edges of the anti-slip mats are raised, it will make people more likely to trip. Our general advice to family members is that as long as there are no piles of debris on the routes that the elderly often take, there is only need to install handrails in the bathroom and a non-slip stool when taking a shower. There is no need to make the home look like a hospital ward. Don't let the elderly go out because they are afraid of falling. Uncle Wang in the community never dared to go downstairs after falling once. Within half a year, his muscles atrophied so much that he now has trouble even standing up. On the contrary, Aunt Chen next door also fell once. Following the doctor's advice, she uses a walker to walk downstairs for 20 minutes every day. Now she can carry a small basket to the vegetable market to buy onions.

What many people tend to overlook is that mental state actually affects the life span of the elderly more than many minor illnesses. Don't always say "just don't move and let me do it". Appropriate "asking for help" can actually make the elderly feel valuable. A while ago, Grandma Liu from our inn always said that life was boring, she didn’t eat enough, and her blood pressure fluctuated. Later, her granddaughter came to teach her to knit scarves every week and gave them to her classmates. Now, Grandma Liu sits on the balcony every day knitting scarves, and takes them out to show everyone when she meets people. She feels much more energetic and her blood pressure has stabilized. There is also the issue of whether to teach the elderly to use smartphones. The two groups are also arguing fiercely. Some people say that they must be taught so that they can watch videos to relieve their boredom. Others say that the elderly cannot learn and will be easily deceived. I think it really depends on the wishes of the elderly. If you are willing to learn, just be patient, increase the font size, set up the speed dial, and turn on the fraud warning. If the elderly really don't want to learn, don't force it. Just install a landline at home so that you can find things when you need them. There is no need to make the elderly keep up with the so-called rhythm of the times. His comfort is the most important.

In fact, after having been doing nursing care for the elderly for so long, I feel that there is no nursing formula that must be followed. You can observe the elderly's face and ask "do you want it" and "do you want it"? Any popular science article will work. After all, when people get older, what they want most is never to be held up like a porcelain doll, but to be able to have the final say on their own, right?